OUR VIEW - Let's give a handicapped lady a break

Norwalk Reflector Staff
•
Oct 29, 2015 at 12:44 PM

Joyce Garcia just wants to park next to her front door.

This is against the law.

The North Main Street, Willard, resident is overweight and has lost all the cartilage in her knees, so she is barely able to walk. To tell her she can't park on her front lawn is to sentence her to house arrest.

We respect the zoning code, of course, and we realize that, by and large, this particular rule is a good one. However, anyone can see that this woman is handicapped even the BMV which has handed Garcia one of its coveted placards.

Some are concerned about the precedent set by giving Garcia special dispensation. First of all, there is already a precedent all over the world that gives the handicapped the right to live as well as the rest of us. Second of all, if no such precedent has been set yet in Willard, now is a good time to start.

Others are concerned about giving someone special treatment. If the comments onwww.norwalkreflector.com are any indication, Garcia already is receiving special treatment. Apparently what Garcia is doing is not in any way unusual, but city officials have decided to single out Garcia for "special treatment."

If a handicapped person is going to get treated differently, it should be in a way that will help them not in a way that will penalize them.

Of course, if Garcia just had a wheelchair ramp, the city could preserve its precious precedents and "equal" treatment. But with a budget of $723 a month, Garcia just doesn't have the wherewithal for such a luxury.